Chapter 14
Not long after that, I sold the condo.
I sold the parking space too.
I’m not afraid of trouble.
I just hate bad energy.
My new place was on the river, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wide open view. Sometimes I would stand on the balcony and watch the current moving under the evening light, and I’d think about an old saying.
If you’re too kind, people will ride you like a horse.
That saying exists for a reason.
Kindness without edges is often just an invitation.
Some people don’t see gentleness as virtue.
They see it as weakness.
They see patience as permission.
They see self-restraint as fear.
And the moment they decide they can feed on you without consequences, they never stop on their own.
They keep taking.
They keep pushing.
They keep crossing lines just to see how far you’ll let them go.
That was the real lesson Mrs. Watson taught me.
Not that evil is powerful.
Not that wealth protects you.
Only that softness without boundaries attracts parasites.
And parasites never leave because you ask politely.